MD Fall Foliage: Peak Colors Spread To 3 Counties

MARYLAND — Peak leaf colors of vivid yellow, red and orange are showing in one western county this week, while leaves are near peak color in two other counties. The mountains are alive with fall splendor, said the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The weekly 2020 Maryland Fall Foliage Report issued Oct. 15 said Garrett County in the western corner of the state is past peak leaf color. Foliage in Allegany County is at its peak, and Washington and Frederick counties are near their peak colors, according to the DNR.

Many counties — including Harford, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, Kent and Queen Anne's — are at the midpoint of their autumn show.

Ranger Jacob Doyle, park manager, Fort Frederick State Park complex, said: “I think we are still in pre-peak conditions but it won’t be long.”

Washington County is nearing peak color and will likely be at peak within the next week or so, said Aaron Cook, forester in Clear Spring. Portions of the county with oak-dominated forests remain relatively green, but nearly all of the other tree species are showing some of the best color in years.

"South Mountain into the Catoctins along the Washington-Frederick border are aflame with beautiful yellows, oranges, purples, and reds," the DNR said. "A hike along the Appalachian Trail would take one through the heart of autumn foliage. In other parts of Washington County, fall is coming along a little more slowly, but the individual colors remain outstanding.

This stagger in peak color change suggests that leaf peepers could stretch their sightseeing over the course of two weekends with the higher elevations potentially peaking this coming weekend, and other lower ridges the following weekend.

Mark Spurrier, park manager, Cunningham Falls and Gambrill state parks, said the beech and hickory trees are turning bright gold, while the red maples are adding a dash of red to a still visible layer of green.

Ranger Alyssa Myers, park supervisor, Patapsco Valley State Park, said: “Things are slowly starting to change here with the storms from the last few days pulling down leaves a bit faster.”

“The colors are starting to pop,” said Ranger Angela Crenshaw, area manager, Gunpowder Falls State Park.

On the lower Eastern Shore, Park Manager Dana Paterra said only a handful of sweet gum trees and a few poison ivy vines are starting to change color at Janes Island State Park.”

Our state offers some stunning vistas, including several in state parks suggested by Visit Maryland:

• The C&O Canal National Historic Park offers numerous hiking options, such as the strenuous Billy Goat Trail for advanced hikers. The trail rewards hikers with vistas of the surging Potomac River flanked by forests bursting with color.
• Elk Neck State Park located on a peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Elk River combines colorful forests with sandy beaches for great viewing. From the Turkey Point parking lot off Route 272 South, it's an easy one-mile walk to the historic 1833 Turkey Point Lighthouse atop a 100-foot bluff at the southern tip of the Elk Neck Peninsula. Climb 35 feet to its top for a spectacular view of the Bay waters and brilliant fall foliage.
• Patapsco Valley State Park, covering 32 miles of the Patapsco River in Howard County, offers great fall foliage views from the comfort of your car if that's a better fit for you. Drive to Valley Overlook in the Hollofield area right off Route 40. From there you can venture into Ellicott City's Main Street, which has shops and restaurants open even as it recovers from fatal August floods.
• In the heart of Baltimore County's horse country, Oregon Ridge Park near Cockeysville has hiking trails that showcase a tree-scape of yellow, orange and red.
• Swallow Falls State Park in Garrett County is located nine miles north of Oakland and contains part of the Youghiogheny River, which flows along the park's borders, passing through shaded rocky gorges and creating rippling rapids, and Muddy Creek Falls, a 53-foot waterfall. The 1 1/4 mile trail through Swallow Falls guides hikers to Western Maryland's breath-taking scenery.
• Other areas to visit close to the Baltimore-Washington metro area: Gwynnbrook Wildlife Management Area in Owings Mills, Baltimore County; Sugar Loaf Mountain Natural Resource Area in southern Frederick County; Seneca Creek State Park just southwest of Gaithersburg; and Dierssen Wildlife Management Area situated between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River in Montgomery County, offering first-rate opportunities for waterfowl watching and quiet interludes for strollers along the Canal Tow Path.

The updated Fall Foliage Prediction Map from SmokyMountains.com provides peak leaf change predictions for the entire continental United States.

In Maryland, the week of Oct. 26 looks good for a trip into the great outdoors.

The major factors that determine the fall foliage peak are sunlight, precipitation, soil moisture and temperature. The map takes in 50,000 predictive data sets, then churns out a county-by-county analysis of when the fall peak will occur, according to SmokyMountains.com co-founder David Angotti, an expert on statistics.